JJ Argent — Systems · Programs · Impact
Built to run
without me.
I turn complex university programs, events and operations into capable teams and repeatable systems—so success doesn't depend on one person.
University Operations · Major Events · Student Experience · Accessibility · Program Design · AI-Enabled Workflows
Melbourne, Australia · Internationally mobile · Open to senior roles, projects and partnerships.
Signature curve
400 → 8,000+From a folding table in a carpark to 8,000+ students supported weekly — the story behind the mark.
Step 01 · Route
What brings
you here?
Pick a path — the panel on the right will update with proof, services and the next step that matters to you.
You need a senior operator.
12+ years leading university operations, major events, student experience and cross-functional teams across Australia and Canada. Australian citizen with unrestricted Australian work rights and internationally mobile.
- Monash · Melbourne · Toronto
- $1.2M+ sponsorship generated
- 300+ volunteers per semester
Step 02 · Impact
Scale with purpose.
Systems with staying power.
Real numbers from real programs — universities, festivals, food-relief and cross-border operations. Tap any metric to see the story behind it.
Step 03 · Featured case study
From a carpark
to 8,000+.
A folding table. A spreadsheet. A carpark. Twelve months later — 8,000+ students supported every week through a system that kept running when I couldn't.
The team
Staff, volunteers & senior leaders
The work
COVID-era operations · masked volunteer packs
The system
Union Mart · a documented, dignified retail model
- 01
The starting point
A small food-relief initiative operating from a carpark, using a folding table and a spreadsheet. 400 weekly registrations.
- 02
The scale challenge
Rapidly growing registrations, increasing student need, volunteers, suppliers, logistics and service complexity — all landing on one coordinator.
- 03
The system redesign
Student intake, triage, volunteer management, supplier relationships, CRM and data management, referrals, grants, documentation, SOPs and continuity planning — all connected.
- 04
The real test
The system continued functioning even when JJ could not physically operate it. 8,000+ students supported weekly.
- 05
The lesson
A successful program is not one that survives because of a heroic individual. It succeeds because the system has been designed to carry the work.
"Most leaders measure themselves by how essential they are in the room. I measure myself by how quickly the room stops needing me."
Free · 2 minutes · No signup required
Would your program
survive without its best person?
Twelve short questions. You'll get a resilience tier, a short read on where you sit, and three actions you can start on this week.
In the field
Programs
in the wild.
Snapshots from 12 years of student programs, festivals, cultural activations and community events across Australia and Canada. Real crowds. Real scale. Real work.
Calgary Pride — Production & Programming
145,000+ attendees · $1.75M budget
Outdoor activation — UMSU
525+ events · 145,000+ attendees
Cultural programming — UMSU
Inclusive · Community-led
Live music activation — UMSU
Student-experience portfolio
Night activation — UMSU
Orientation & campus life
Step 04 · Capabilities
Six things
I do well.
Multidisciplinary by design. Every capability below has been tested at real scale — inside universities, community programs and international festivals.
Program & Project Leadership
Designing, coordinating and delivering complex programs involving multiple teams, competing priorities and high stakeholder expectations.
Major Events & Activations
Leading high-volume orientation programs, festivals, activations, community events and participant experiences at scale.
Operational Systems
Turning scattered spreadsheets, personal knowledge and manual processes into documented, governed and repeatable workflows.
Student Experience & Inclusion
Developing services and programs for students, underrepresented communities, people with disability, refugees and humanitarian entrants.
Workforce & Volunteer Leadership
Leading distributed teams, casual workforces, volunteers and multidisciplinary operational groups across time zones.
Practical AI & Workflow Design
Identifying safe, useful and realistic opportunities to improve administrative work through AI, automation and better process design.
In their words
What people
say about working with me.
Unedited words from colleagues at Keypath / UTS and UMSU Food Relief. More on the About page.
You have been an amazing teacher, co-worker, leader. The moment I signed the contract with Keypath I had no idea HOW lucky I was by having you in my team.
Anna
Keypath / UTS
Colleague · Keypath Education / UTS · 2020–2021
Your kindness, team spirit and initiative are great assets. I am certain you will continue to excel in whatever role you undertake. Your work makes a huge difference to a lot of people.
Andres
Keypath / UTS
Colleague · Keypath Education / UTS · 2020–2021
From the very beginning you've been the most collaborative and enthusiastic team member. You're a wonderful person set to achieve many great things.
Tran
Keypath / UTS
Colleague · Keypath Education / UTS · 2020–2021
Next step